As ACC rounds the bend toward March, Tigers in deep trouble

As I watched Virginia Tech pull away from Clemson late Saturday afternoon, one prevailing thought ran through my mind: This team is in trouble. Deep trouble.

Now, understand. There’s nothing shameful about a 70-59 loss inside Cassell Coliseum, one of the toughest places to play in the ACC; Virginia Tech is unbeaten there this season.

But Saturday’s defeat reinforced a feeling that has been building for a while: Clemson is, at best, a two-man team. And when one or both of those men — Trevor Booker and Demontez Stitt — are hobbled or otherwise restrained — winning games in the ACC will be a tough slog.

Since Stitt sprained his left foot Jan. 16 at N.C. State, Clemson has lost four of five games. The Tigers (16-7, 4-5 ACC) have slipped to eighth in the league standings. It has become clear they’ll need a big run to make the program’s third straight NCAA appearance.

Saturday was a blueprint for the rest of the ACC: get Booker — an All-America candidate and the Tigers’ best player — in foul trouble and the rest of his teammates will crumble like a Jenga game gone wrong.

When Booker committed his fourth foul with 13 minutes left, Clemson trailed 41-37.

By the time he returned with 5:27 remaining, the Hokies had opened up a 55-46 lead, and the Tigers never got closer than six points.

Without Booker, the half-court offense becomes a quagmire. Junior forward Jerai Grant is developing into a reliable force inside (he had his second straight double-double Saturday), but defenses feel free to pressure a perimeter offense that has enough trouble getting good shots even with Booker in the game; Clemson is shooting only 25.6 percent from 3-point range in league play.

Senior David Potter was expected to pick up some of the slack left behind by K.C. Rivers’ graduation and Terrence Oglesby’s departure to Europe. He scored 11 points Saturday, but that was his first double-figure effort since November. Neither Noel Johnson nor Andre Young scare defenders, either.

So even though Clemson has played great defense recently, allowing 64.8 points per game in its last five, its offense has been woeful, averaging 60.2 points in that same stretch.

Stitt’s return to health will help immensely; he returned from a two-game absence Saturday to score three points in 27 minutes, and those numbers will improve as his foot does.

But he needs to get healthy quickly. Clemson’s upcoming three-game homestand will determine the direction this season takes, especially since the ACC regular season ends with three of four on the road.

All three games are winnable; Florida State sits in fifth in the ACC, but is 3-4 away from home.

Miami is tied for last place in the league, and Virginia, while surprising, remains unproven.

Hold serve at Littlejohn Coliseum, and the NCAA dream stays alive.

Stumble, and look out below.

Right now, the Tigers’ margin for error is as thin as their rotation.